


Fly Out

by Dashboardjuliet (orphan_account)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Modern AU, Nobody knows, What am I doing, Zutara Week, modern with bending, zk2015, zkweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-20
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-10 07:09:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4382162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Dashboardjuliet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katara just wants to go home for the holidays but it seems the Spirits ( and an unfortunately timed snow storm) have other plans.  Stuck in an airport while her flight is delayed, Katara has the chance to meet a stranger that throws her whole world upside down.</p><p>Written for Zutara Week 2015</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Happenstance

**Author's Note:**

> What am I doing? I have no idea. This started out as a modern Au set in Chicago but at the advice of the wonderful Ironinkpen it was switched to Republic City. Also the song I reference, Then Came the Morning, is an actual song by the band The Lone Bellows. Check them out. ALSO also, look at the word count for this chapter! That was unintentional. This will be cross posted on tumblr at the same name, dashboardjuliet.tumblr.com. I hope y'all enjoy!

Her eyes search the departure board quickly, looking for the name of her home town amidst the names of the other destinations. At the end of almost every row there is the same word flashing in capital letters: DELAYED. She swallows as she spots the United Nations Airlines section. There's a knot in her stomach, and for a moment she debates on whether she really wants to look down the board. Doing that wouldn't fix the situation, she knows that. So like a big girl, she follows the Southern Tribes row, stopping when her gaze reaches the Departure time. Like all the others the banner, 'DELAYED. AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS' rolls across the screen. Her shoulders fall and tears well in her eyes. She just wants to go home.

In all fairness, she knew something like this would probably happen. Traveling during the winter, especially so close to Christmas, was hectic. The airports were always overcrowded, people's tempers would run high, and stress was at a max. Add bad weather into the mix and things got downright nasty. If things were this bad in Republic City, she didn't even want to think about how things were fairing at home. With disappointment clogging in her throat, Katara makes her way to the gate to wait out the storm.

It's already packed, no surprise, but somehow she manages to weasel into a spot leaning against the glass wall that overlooks the runways. Behind her back, the winds beat against the glass at speeds of 70 miles per hour, whipping snow and ice at damaging speeds. Dimly she can see the hazy glow of the opposite terminal across the runway, but the snow makes everything seem so much farther away. The fact that she can hardly see anything outside of a two foot radius just makes the pit in her stomach grow, because if she can't see anything then how is a pilot supposed to fly? 

How long she sits there, just watching the snow against the night sky, she isn't sure. Her laptop sits in her lap abandoned, the screen black after finally going into sleep mode. She had watched a movie after the first delay, started another after word of the second but had quickly lost interest in the plot. Watching the snow was more entertaining. Her phone is what finally draws her away. In her pocket she can feel her phone buzz to life, and she scrambles to reach it. It was just a text, but her brother's name stands out on the screen and it brings a smile to her face. The message was nothing funny, but the way he texts makes her want to laugh. Sokka was firm in his beliefs that he didn't need a new age phone, and insisted on using a tiny, impossible flip phone. It had reduced his texts to mere letters; he shorthanded just about everything he could.

"Whr r u? Flgt supp 2 b hr 2 hr ago" it reads, and it takes her a few moments to figure out what exactly he was trying to say. 

"Delayed. Twice. Just go home for now. I'll text you when I get another update. Tell everyone I say hi." She responds back after finally decoding his message. 'You should have sent word sooner' she thinks as she stares at the screen awaiting his response, finally noting the time. 11:30. Her flight delayed twice, three hours each time. They had probably been at the airport waiting for her for a good hour or two by then.

"Scks 4 u. D n GG say hi" his answer appears in a few seconds, causing her to paint a funny picture in her head. If Gran Gran was there, it probably meant Pakku was as well. And if Gran Gran had managed to get Pakku to come to the airport, she couldn't imagine who else she had been able to wrangle into coming along, probably the whole tribe. Picturing them all standing around waiting made her grin. Dad was probably being Dad; stoic and more likely than not, worried out of his mind. Gran Gran would be telling him to relax, that Katara 'is a big girl. She can handle herself just fine.' Pakku and Sokka would be arguing about something meaningless. As much as she loves her family, they can be annoying, and she feels sorry for whoever else has been at the airport during their stay.

After that, her phone is silent and she takes it as their conversation ending. She removes her headphones from the jack in her computer and moves them to her phone, tapping the music app open and setting it to her sleeping playlist. If a movie can't hold her attention, she might as well sleep. And since the weather doesn't look like it will be calling it quits anytime soon, she assumes it's safe to nap. Then Came the Morning is the first song to fill her head, and within a few measures she can already feel herself drifting off. She must have been more tired than she originally thought. Letting the worries of delayed flights slip over her, Katara allows her mind to slip into the stillness of sleep.

Until it isn't still. And there is a foot tapping the bottom of her foot, and she has to pry one eye open, and then the other, to address the interruption. Standing in front of her is a grumpy man. Well, maybe not a man. He looks far too young to be considered a man. Men weren't her age, men were people like her father. The guy in front of her, with a scowl on his thin lips and a burn marring the left side of his face, was certainly nothing like her father. He seems to be saying something, judging by the way his lips move. Obviously he hasn't seen her earphones or the cord hanging down from her ears to her phone. Rolling her eyes, Katara sits up from her somewhat hunched over position and removes a earbud to speak.

"Come again?" She asks in the nicest voice she can manage. There is an urge to bark at him about waking sleeping people in public, but she bites it back down. He seems surprised, or slightly embarrassed, once he sees her headphone because he opens and closes his mouth quickly as if he were confused.

"I asked if you could move over. I need the outlet." He says back finally, motioning with a nod of his head to the small unused outlet at her side. A simple request, and one she can great easily. Scooting over to her left, she makes room for him to squeeze in. It's a tight fit, but he manages and Katara can't really complain because being in tight quarters with a somewhat attractive guy isn't the worst place she could be. There is a moment of silence between the two of them as the newcomer gets himself righted, with laptop charging and in his lap.

"I'm Katara." She says finally, clearing her throat and offering him a small smile. She seems to catch him off guard, again, because he seems puzzled.

"I'm Zuko. Pleasure to meet you." His greeting is formal. All Katara can think is that if he continues to be so formal and uptight, she is in for a long night.

"Nice to meet you too."


	2. Vigil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the departures drag on, Katara and Zuko are forced to keep vigil at the airport, into the wee hours of the night. Katara comes up with an idea to pass the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually my favorite chapter because you get to learn about who these two are in this verse. If the dialogue only format scares anyone off it's Katara speaking first and Zuko second, always. I hope you guys enjoy!

It's 2:46, or so her phone claims, and neither one of them is asleep. Not that it would be very easy to fall asleep in a packed terminal along with what seems like a hundred other people. Instead, they are pressed together, shoulder to shoulder, sharing a set of headphones since he had forgotten his. 

"Do you know the game twenty questions?" She asks, not bothering to turn her head to look at him. She doesn't want him to get the wrong idea, that's she's staring at his scar. If anything, the scar adds to his whole look, which she likes, but she doesn't want to scare him off. He scoffs, and she finally turns to look at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Who doesn't know it?" He says, responding to her like she had just stated something ridiculous, like knowing the spirit of the moon. Taking it as a good sign, and ignoring how he continued to talk to her like she was a child, Katara nodded.

"Just checking. How old are you?"

"Wha... Are you serious?" He seems annoyed, turning to her with a scowl on his face and narrowed gaze.

"Yes I'm serious. How old are you?"

"Ugh. I'm twenty five."

"That's a good age. Now you ask me a question."

"That's not happening."

"Ask me a question or I take my headphones back."

"Fine! How old are you?"

"Why thank you for asking Zuko. I'm twenty three, a much better age than twenty five. What's your favorite color?"

"Blue." Before he can ask a question she is analyzing him, looking at him with squinted eyes. 

"What?" He continues.

"Oh nothing. I would've thought you'd say red."

"And what gave you that idea?"

"I don't know. You just feel like a red type of guy."

"Well then what would your favorite color be Miss color guru?"

"You know, if you keep asking the same questions I ask this is going to get really boring."

"That's the point, now answer the question before I decide to stop playing along."

"Red. I like red. Are you a bender?"

"Yes, fire. I take you are too?"

"Yeah. Only water bender in the my family."

"I take that's pretty special?"

"Sure is. Anyways, next question: What's your favorite food?"

"Xiao long bao."

"... What is that?"

"It's like a soup dumpling. It's from the Fire Nation, something I had a lot as a kid."

"Did you grow up there?"

"Are we skipping my turn?"

"Crap sorry. Ask away."

"Your favorite food."

"Easy it's akutaq."

"And that is?"

"Not your tuurn. Did you grow up in the Fire Nation?"

"No, but my parents are from there. What's akutaq?"

"Akutaq is a like ice cream but you use berries and shortening."

"Sounds... wonderful."

"Hey shut up and stop insulting my favorite food!"

"I wasn't insulting it! Ask the next stupid question."

"Favorite movie?

"The First Avatar. What's you fav- "

"Sleep, it's a little indie film. But First Avatar is a good one too."

"How did you know I was going to ask you the same question?"

"Call it a woman's intuition. So why are you in Republic City?"

"For work, not important enough to talk about. Why are you in Republic City?"

"For school. What do you do for work?"

"I work for my father's company and he's looking to spread the business to the Southern Tribe. What school?"

"United Republic University, working on my doctorate in medicine."

"Wow."

"Did that surprise you?"

"Yeah, just a bit. That's a lot of school. Why?"

"There's this stupid rule that used to be instituted in the tribes a long time ago that women that were able to bend could only learn healing. Of course that's long gone now but I still learned how to heal before I could actually fight and it's just kinda stuck with me."

"That's a dumb rule."

"Tell me about it. What do you miss about home?" She asks. He tenses and she quickly realizes that maybe her question hits a bit too close to home. Before she can take it back and offer up another easy question, he's speaking.

"There's this pond that my mom used to take me to when I was younger. She's... gone now but that pond makes me think of her. I haven't been there in a long time."

"I"m sorry."

"Don't be. It's been a long time. What are you looking forward to seeing now that you're going home?"

"My cousin Yue." There are many things she could say, her dad, Sokka, Gran Gran, but Yue comes to mind first. "She's actually from the Northern Tribes but her family is visiting for the holidays. I don't remember the last time I saw her in person."

"Are you two-"

"Will you two shut up! Some of us are trying to sleep!"

"... sorry."

"Sorry."

...

"I'll ask again in the morning."


	3. Clandestine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes do something dumb but that doesn't mean they regret it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut ahoy! This is my first time writing it so be gentle.

"We shouldn't be doing this." She says when he finally removes his lips from hers, only to move them down her face to kiss along the underside of her chin and make her breath hitch. They shouldn't be doing this. She's never been the girl that had sex with a stranger in a handicap unisex airport bathroom. It's risky, stupid, but she can't help the chills she gets knowing that outside the locked bathroom door, people are going about their business waiting for their flights to not be delayed. 

"No, we probably shouldn't." He says, sounding equally breathless as he bites down on a spot just underneath her ear and makes her gasp. Katara squirms underneath him, trying to get her leg up around his waist so she can pull him closer but he has her pinned and she can't do anything but run her hands up through his hair and tug on it, hard. The way he groans when she pulls makes her feel powerful and she shivers when his hooded gaze focuses on her.

"We really shouldn't be doing this." She hisses again as she goes in to kiss him, to hold his head still so she can finally, truly kiss him without having him try to move away and bite her. Her lips move against his, parting them with her tongue. She can feel the slight breath he takes before their tongues meet. Their teeth hit but she doesn't care because all she wants is to get closer to him.

"Are you going to keep saying that, because if you don't want to do this we can stop." He says breathlessly as he pulls away from her, resting his forehead on hers. Her eyes widen a fraction but she shakes her head.

"No! I don't want to stop!" Her words come out a bit more urgent than she means them to, but it just makes him smile. "I just want to make sure we both know that this is a bad idea... Place wise, I mean. Like, having sex in a bathroom is not a habit I have. Or want to have."

"Note taken." He says as he moves to kiss her neck, again, his hot breath ghosting over her skin, "I'll make sure remember that. For now, shut up." And then he does this thing, where he bites down on her pulse and just holds it in his teeth and Katara thinks she is going to go crazy.

So there she is, struggling to get his damn buckle undone while he is biting at her throat and taking his sweet sweet time in getting under her shirt. He isn't moving fast enough for her, and certainly isn't grasping the fact that they are in a public place about to have sex. 

"Wait, Katara." He's speaking again and Katara groans, throwing her head back so it lands on the tile wall with a thud.

"What?" 

"I don't have a- "

"It's fine, I've got one in my purse."

"Okay."

"Nothing to worry about. Now get back to kissing my neck."

"Yes Ma'am." He says, but no he isn't kissing her. Instead his hands are finally, finally, sliding underneath her shirt, and she can feel how much hotter than he is than her directly. He is scorching but that doesn't stop her from wanting him to put those damn hands everywhere on her. He licks along her collarbone as his hands follow the natural path up her stomach and to her breasts, and when he finally skims them over her bra she sighs. It's enough to get her going, and she slips her shirt over her head and reaches behind to tug her bra off. 

The air is cold and goosebumps pepper her skin but it's only because of the cold for so long. She's exposed for only a few seconds before his mouth is covering a nipple and his hand is palming the other. He's wrapping his tongue around it, tugging at it gently as he pinches the other and Katara can't hold back her quiet, breathy moans. His breath feels cool against her wet skin as he lets go of her nipple with a pop, breathing against her skin to make it pucker. His lips move to her other one as his hand moves downward to slip underneath the hem of her jeans. Her brain can hardly process his movement but she knows she likes it, knows she wants more.

Urging him onward, she bucks up into his hand, grinding against him till he hisses at her to stop, his breath coming out in a puff of steam that only serves to remind her how hot he is. But her grinding has served its purpose of spurring him on, because his fingers are finally touching her, his thumb making circles around her clit while his index finger slides inside. She keens, and wants him to move his damn finger but he stays still. Glancing up at his face, Katara pauses, trying to push back her lust hazed mind.

"Everything okay?" She pants.

"I just... You really want to be doing this with me?" The question is quiet, and Katara knows there is a bigger meaning behind it. If they were closer, she would have stopped everything and had them talk. But she can guess what it's about, and in the heat of the moment she can only think of one thing to fix it.

"Yes, spirits Zuko, yes. I know you feel how wet I am right now, and it's all because of you. And I swear to Tui and La if you don't start pumping your damn finger or get your cock in me I will cry." There is a moment of silence that falls after her words, and for a minute Katara is scared that she's said the completely wrong thing to get him to understand that yes, she wants to have sex with him, and yes, she finds him attractive. 

Her fears are squashed when she can see the heat return to his eyes and the way he struggles to get her out of her pants. She helps, of course, by wriggling her ass out of them so he can pull them off her legs, while her fingers go to his belt and undo it quickly, yanking his pants down so she can stroke him. He hisses and thrusts against her hand, her fingers tracing over his head and down his shaft. Katara reaches for her purse that's resting on the counter, wrangling with the zipper with only one hand so she can keep the other on him. Finally the zipper comes undone and she holds the foil wrapper triumphant in the air before bringing it to her lips to tear it open. She slides the plastic down his cock and he twitches, slightly, and she has the odd urge to taste him but before she can get her lips around him he is hoisting her up. She quickly gets the idea and wraps her legs around his waist, the position so perfect that he just slides right in.

They're both still for a moment, getting used to the feeling, until he thrusts slowly and Katara groans. It continues like that for a few minutes, him slowly thrusting and getting so close to the perfect spot, and Katara trying to pull him closer. 

"Could- uh, could you... bite me?" The silence is broken by his request and Katara just nods dumbly, too close to manage words. She pulls him closer to her, wrapping her arms around his neck so she can work the collar of his shirt down far enough for her to see the bare skin of his shoulder. He's still thrusting as she licks the skin between his shoulder and neck, laving it before she bites down, hard enough to leave a mark. She can hear the groan that escapes his lips, the stutter of his hips, and she clenches around him as she sucks on the bite. The muscles of his neck tighten, and then he thrusts, hard, and hits the perfect spot inside her. She lets go of his skin to cry out.

From that point, his pace is fast and hard, and each time he thrusts into her it hits her perfectly, leaving her a gasping sobbing mess in his arms, begging for release. She knows she is close, and he is too, at least she thinks from the way his thrusts are growing slightly farther apart. Moving her hand between them, she circles her clit and pushes her chest out, urging him to touch her. He obviously understands because his lips once again cover her nipple and it only takes a few more thrusts till she is crying out, arching closer to him as she comes. He thrusts into her once more before he's coming too, groaning her name into her skin. His hold on her wavers, and she's sliding back to her own two, unsteady, feet while he arches over her still panting. 

All she wants to do is curl up and nap, her body exhausted and her ears still ringing, but she knows they can't exactly do that in a bathroom. Together, they slowly get dressed, helping each other to look like they didn't just have the sex in a public bathroom. They exit one after the other, glancing around to make sure the coast is clear. 

As they walk back to their waiting bags near the glass wall, Katara welcomes the feeling of him leaning on her, his arm resting across her shoulders to hold her closer to him.


	4. Rue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes go their separate ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rue is a bit shorter but the last three chapters make up for it. Hope you all enjoy!

"So. I guess this is it." Her voice wavers as she speaks because really, she doesn't want this to be the end. She wants him to give her his number, say that they should get together again some time, even if it's just getting coffee. She wants him to at least act like he felt the same thing she did, because she knows he does. But he just stands there blushing slightly, rubbing the back of his neck with his carry on bag at his side. They've finally gotten to the Tribes airport, two days after their original flight time. Her family isn't there to pick her up, but she can see her cousin, and best friend, Yue standing out at the exit terminal. On the other side, she can see a suited man, a chauffeur probably, holding a sign with his name on it.

"Yeah, it is." He says and Katara is screaming in her head but she just smiles and holds out her hand to him.

"It was nice meeting you, Zuko." He takes her hand and holds it for a few moments before letting it go. Katara wants him to hold on but he just nods at her and then he's walking away, leaving her standing there. She knows it shouldn't mean anything, that the stupid sex they had was just a fun way to pass the time. Her throat is tight and as he walks away she can see Yue coming toward her when she realized Katara wasn't coming closer.

"Katara? Who was that?" Yue asks as she stands by Katara's side. What should she say? That he's the one that she let go? She should've done something more. Instead she just gives her cousin a tight smile and says, 

"I'll tell you later."

Later, as it turns out, is as soon as they get into Yue's sparkling satomobile, because as strong as Katara tries to be, there is something about the scent of her cousin's car that makes her weak, the smell of home.

"That was Zuko." She says, staring out the window as her cousin pulls out of the parking ramp and on to the small highway that leads away from the airport and to the city. Her cousin doesn't say anything, waiting for her to continue speaking. "I had sex with him at the airport."

"What!" That gets her cousin's attention, her head whipping around to stare at her, sending her white hair swirling. Katara cringes. She probably could have said that in a gentler way, but she doesn't think she can manage gentle.

"We had sex. In the airport in Republic City. During the delays when we were stuck at the airport." When she says it out loud, it sounds ridiculous. Groaning, Katara buries her face in her hands to hide the blush she knows is covering her cheeks. 

"You need to start at the beginning Katara because right now I am lost."

"We met at the airport, because of the delays and we were on the same flight. We ended up hanging out during the first day, hit it off, or at least I thought we did, and then had sex in a bathroom."

"Was it good?" Katara turns to look at her cousin, her mouth hanging open in surprise. Her cousin shrugs at her. "What?"

"That's all you have to say?"

"Well I know you're smart so you were safe. I'll admit the spot probably wasn't the greatest but whatever. Was it good?" Katara stays quiet, thinking on her cousin's question.

"Yeah. It was great."

"Did you get his number?"

When Katara stays silent, Yue turns to look at her, pulling the car over to the side of the main road. The car goes into park. Katara looks at her cousin, meeting her disappointed state.

"What?"

"You let him leave without giving him your number?"

"Yeah." Katara cringes, knowing exactly what is coming up next.

"Katara I love you so much, but for how smart you are, you are such an idiot."

"Don't you think I know that Yue? Dont you think I'm regretting that he didn't seem as into me as I was him, and I am hitting myself for not giving my number? Because I am."

"You really didn't see it, did you?"

"See what?"

"Ugh Katara!" Yue throws her hands up in the air and Katara is thoroughly confused by what her cousin is trying to accomplish. If she wants to guilt her, then she has. "Well it's not in your hands anymore. You better pray that the Spirits are watching out for you."

"I'll make sure to do that Yue." 

Because what else can she do?

Pray, and hope someone up there takes mercy on her stupid mistake.


	5. Voyage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara learns some interesting information that just might lead her back to Zuko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 5 people! We've done this! Only two more days to go.

She's in the practice gym in her dorm building, the only water bender found practicing. There are other benders around her, some non benders too, all working out and training. She's distracted, can feel it in the way her body moves, stiffer than her normally relaxed style. In bending, she tries to remain like the water, always flowing and free, never tight and controlled. Her mentality is part of the reason she is such a talented bender, but when he brain isn't focused, her bending isn't focused. 

She isn't focused because her eyes are trained on the TV that is set to world news, covering some story about Fire Nation dignitaries and current negotiations with the United Water Tribes. She looks up because it's talking about her family, and the visitation of the Fire Nation Prince for negotiations. Her father had mentioned something about the talks while she had been visiting, but she hadn't been fully listening. Now, with a video accompanying the coverage, she pays attention. She pays attention because there on the screen is Zuko, Prince Zuko, handsome marred face and stunning golden eyes with his black hair swept out of his face like some star, talking about the negotiations that are in progress, and what the union of the two nations promises. 

Katara's eyes don't leave the TV, even after the story ends and it moves on to some fluff piece about some singing troupe. She's feeling a lot of things at the moment: surprise, betrayal, anger, confusion. They all rush through her head and heart, making it difficult to breathe. She goes over their shared game from weeks ago, remembering his answers to the questions she had asked. He hadn't exactly told her anything about what he did, but he had only mentioned being of Fire Nation descent and traveling to the tribes for work. If the talks had been that important, she can understand why he wouldn't have wanted to share. But the biggest thought running through her head is this: she has a lead. The spirits answered her prayers and now she has a way to find him.

She flies into action after that thought, leaving the gym quickly to make it back to her dorm room before she does something stupid, like rush to the embassy in her sweaty workout clothing. It certainly wouldn't do her any good to show up looking like that. As the daughter of one of the chief's of the Southern Water Tribe, she has an appearance to uphold, and sweaty clothing was not a part of that.

Before she can even think about going to the embassy, she knows she needs to make a call. There would be no way for her to just walk in off the street and demand an appointment with the Fire Nation diplomat. What would she say? That she had sex with him and now she couldn't stop thinking about him? No, that wouldn't do any good. Appointment would be the best way. Not having the embassy on speed dial, Katara turns to her laptop for help, quickly finding the number and extension for the offices of the Fire Nation. She enters the number on her phone and holds it to her ear, listening to the ringing before there is a click, and the phone is picked up.

"You have reached the Royal Fire Nation Embassy, how may I direct your call?" The voice answers, pleasant and pleasing. Katara has do doubt she was chosen simply because of her voice.

"Hello, I am inquiring about setting up an appointment with your diplomat to the United Water Tribes, Prince Zuko." It feels strange saying his name like that, heavy with the weight of a title and all the authority it holds. There is a pause on the line where she can hear papers being shuffled and someone clearing their throat. Before she can ask if anyone is there, a different voice responds to her, a man's. He sounds old, his voice slow and thick.

"May I ask who you are, and why you are trying to arrange a meeting with Prince Zuko?"

"I am Katara, daughter of Chief Hadoka of the Southern Water Tribe. I have some information that my father would like me to pass on." The lies flows easily off her lips. She knows they will believe her. The general public of Republic City doesn't know that she is the daughter of a chief, and certainly doesn't know the sway that position has. Officials at the college know but other than them there isn't anyone else lucky enough to have that knowledge. The other diplomats, of course, who keep files of information on all the families of their allies, know that knowledge quite well.

She can hear papers flipping, and knows they are probably looking at her file as they speak. They won't know for sure that it's her until she shows up, and they can compare her file picture to her face. But she has no doubt that an appointment will be made. There is a 'harrumph' from the other end of the telephone.

"Yes, well. You seem to be in luck, Miss Katara. Prince Zuko has just returned from negotiations with the Tribes and is back in the city. A meeting can be set up a week from tomorrow at 10:30. Is that time acceptable for you?" She has butterflies in her stomach as the man speaks.

"10:30 will do perfectly, thank you." She tries to keep the giddiness in her voice down, and she hopes it worked.

"Then if that is all, Miss Katara. Have a pleasant day."

"You as well." She hangs up the phone, pulling it away from her face with a grin on her lips. One week is nothing.

Now, to plan her outfit.

\------

Katara shows up to the embassy at 10:15, knowing there will be some type of paperwork and security checking before she is allowed to even meet with Zuko. The click of her heels as she takes ever step is the only noise she can hear besides the quick staccato beating of her own heart. To say she's nervous would be an understatement. She feels like her stomach is going to come right up her throat instead of just her lunch. Thankfully she has a somewhat loose hold on her nerves, and she knows that her emotions don't show on her face. Her expression is straight, she isn't even biting at her lip like she normally does when she is nervous. 

She enters into the almost empty waiting room, save for a secretary sitting behind a circular desk that peers up at her every few seconds. Her nerves only grow under the watchful eye of the secretary and soon Katara finds herself squirming in her seat, tired of waiting for what seems like hours even though it has only been like ten. 

"Ms. Katara?" At the sound of her voice Katara bolts up out of her chair, holding her hands behind her back. In front of her stands another young woman with a perky voice that sounds similar to the one she talked with on the phone. She's cute, in an annoying sort of way.

"Yes?" 

"My name is Ty Lee. If you wouldn't mind following me, I'll lead you to Prince Zuko's office." With a nod, Ty Lee leaves and Katara follows after her, walking down a hallway and then another, only to stop in front of a wooden door with a gold plaque nailed on to it. Ty Lee opens the door and waves Katara in. She moves in and stands there, unsure of what to do.

"Prince Zuko will be with you in just a moment." And with that Ty Lee shuts the door and leaves her standing in an empty office room. 

All that was left for her to do was wait.


	6. Integrity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes meet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So close to the finish line guys!

"Ms. Katara, I was just in the Southern Tribes for talks. What could have possibly changed in the short period of one week that needed such direct attention?" Zuko walks into the office with his head turned down to read whatever papers he's holding in his hands. Katara doesn't move to speak, stays sitting in the chair in front of his desk, her legs crossed and a small smile on her lips. The nerves that had been wracking her system have miraculously disappeared and left a slow growing confidence in its place.

At the silence, Zuko finally lifts his head to look at her and Katara has the moment she's been waiting for. She was expecting shock, surprise, maybe a bit of confusion and possibly a bit of anger. What she gets is a mix of everything. The emotions pass over his face quite plainly, easy for her to read. His jaw goes from hanging open, to stuttering for words that seem just out of his reach. After alternating between open and closed, his mouth just shut and she can see the muscles clench as he grinds his teeth together. 

"There's nothing that needs my attention, is there?" He asks finally, disrupting the silence that had fallen over the office. Only offering a smile, Katara leans forward and rests her elbows on his desk. Placing her head on her hands, she shrugs her shoulders.

"I wouldn't say that it's _nothing_. It's just not about the negotiations that have been going on." He leans back in his chair and she copies the movement, crossing her legs as she rests her hands in her lap. It takes a moment for him to speak again.

"Is this about the airport?" He asks quietly, looking at something on his desk instead of at her face. It hurts a little to see him actively avoiding looking at her but she doesn't say anything about it.

"Yeah it is." At her confirmation, he looks up and she is surprised to see that he actually looks a bit... scared?

"You're not... pregnant, are you?" He says the word as if it's taboo. She wasn't expecting that response, and if she had been drinking something she would have spit it out in shock. Covering her mouth to hide the choked cough of surprise, Katara tries to control it so she can speak again.

"Spirits no!" She exclaims after gaining control of her voice again. "No, I'm not pregnant. I just wanted to talk about what happened." She sounds so lame, but she can't help it. Even if it was just a one time thing, she wanted a confirmation that that was all it was. Something that would squash her budding feelings that had begun then.

"Then what are you doing here?" He says briefly, leaning forward to rest his hands on his desk. Swallowing her hesitation, Katara knows this is the moment she has been waiting for.

"I just wanted to know," she begins, but freezes as soon as the words leave her mouth. Fear has crept back into her stomach and in that moment she knows she can't confess how she feels, how she has the beginnings of a crush and maybe something more developing for him. Instead she does a one eighty on what she was originally going to say. "I wanted to know why you lied to me about why you were going to the Southern Tribes." Inner Katara cringes at what comes out of her mouth. She's already settled on the fact that he couldn't tell her the truth then, and has no problem with him lying by omission. She watches as shock settles on his face, and then morphs into confusion and anger.

"Lied to you? I didn't lie to you! You were a stranger and had no reason to know why I was going there!" He exclaims, his eyes narrowing and his scar serving to make him look even more angry at her. Seeing his hostile reaction only makes her feel angry, an emotion she knows she has no place feeling.

"Yes, lying to me! You knew I was returning to the tribes for family, and don't try and tell me you had no idea who I was. I _know_ you diplomats always have very detailed files of your allies families. You knew one of the Chiefs had a daughter named Katara and that she was studying in Republic City. It isn't too hard to put two and two together." She fires back, not leaving a space for him to butt in and interrupt her.

"Do you know how crazy you sound? There are probably a hundred Katara's that live in the tribes! You assuming that I would know you from the crowd is just stupid." Inner Katara knows the logic in his words, but angry Katara could care less. 

"It sounds less crazy when I know you knew about me, but I had no idea about you!" Katara stands from her seat and plants her hands firmly on his desk, leaning in close to him, her lips curling in anger as she speaks. She can see him flinch slightly as she gets closer to him, but he doesn't back down.

"So what if I did? We were still strangers that would have never met again." He rises to his feet too, leaning in towards her to try and scare her. It doesn't work.

"Because I wouldn't have fucked you if I had known you were trying to take my tribes land! I can't believe I actually thought we could have something!" She yells, bringing her hand down as a fist onto the desk. Near the edge, an abandoned water glass shakes. Her words make him recoil like she slapped him, but she doesn't care. It's second best to actually slapping him herself. All she can feel is disgust towards herself for screwing him and thinking she could ever have something with him.

"I wouldn't have fucked you if I had known you would assume I would like you enough to meet again." He says and it cuts away at her last strand of control.

"Fuck you, Zuko." She spits his name, pulling at the water in the glass and bringing it in a ball over him and letthe water go to drop into his lap, soaking his suit. He seems too stunned to speak. "Fuck you. You can kiss any chance of getting my tribes lands goodbye."

With the threat of stopping negotiations between the two nations hanging between them, Katara swirls away from him and storms out of his office without any desire to ever see Prince Zuko ever again.


	7. Maelstrom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes duke it out and come to an understanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end guys and I'm so glad you've all enjoyed it. Gotta give thanks to Ironinkpen who helped me by reading everything and telling me to write more and advise changing the setting. I hope you guys enjoy the final chapter!

It takes four days for Katara to calm down enough to realize what she's done. By that time, the news of the broken negotiations has made its was to the evening news. Somehow her father had found out (she suspected Yue had spilled the beans after being informed of what had transpired at the embassy) and had stopped the talks just as quickly as they had begun. The true reason for the ending hadn't come out yet. Her father had spoken briefly to the news, citing an unsolvable problem as the reason. The Fire Nation had been equally quiet on the subject, the news showing Prince Zuko making his way through a sea of reporters.

It takes five days for Katara to gather enough nerve to call her father. The phone rings a good three times before he finally picks up with his usual 'You've reached Chief Hadoka, what can I do for you?'

"Dad," Katara says, her voice soft and sounding like a child again. She always reverts back to a little girl when it comes to her father. Something about him just makes her want to be ten again and not have a care in the world. "I messed up Dad."

"I know you did Katara." It's all he says, but she's grateful that he doesn't go off into a speech about behaving her age and her actions reflecting on him. For some reason, Katara thinks he already knows she's accepted her mistakes. "Is there anything you need me to do?"

"I need you to give me Prince Zuko's personal number." She knows it's a long shot, and judging by the silence from her father's end, it's an even longer shot than she originally thought. There's no way she would be able to show her face at the embassy again, and absolutely no way she would be able to make an appointment with him again. Contacting him through his private cell might be the only way she could talk to him again.

"Katara I really don't think that's a good idea." Hadoka says, the hesitancy in his voice heavy. 

"I need to apologize Dad. Please." There is silence, and then shuffling followed by an exhausted sigh from his side of the line.

"Don't make me regret this Katara. It's 702-1559."

"Thank you Dad. I promise I won't." She vomits the words, they come out of her mouth as soon as he's done speaking. There was hardly any doubt that she wouldn't they the number eventually.

"Alright. Well if that's all. I love you Katara."

"Love you too Dad. Bye." After a quick goodbye from him as well, she hangs up the phone and pulls it back from her ear, only to pull up the keypad to send a message, typing in Zuko's number as quick as her fingers let her. But when the number is entered completely, her brain freezes, again. What does she say? 'Sorry I threw water at you and cut your face? Let's meet for coffee because I really like you?'

Katara spends fifteen minutes just staring at her phone, fingers hesitating over the keyboard, questioning what to type. Does she ask him for coffee? Where does she suggest they meet? It would have to be something small, off the beaten path so that a random passing citizen didn't call the news and alert them to Zuko being out with an unknown girl. They would pretty much put a stop to any chance she still has. So coffee is no. Movie is probably a no too because she doesn't want to sit in the dark with him, she wants to talk, explain herself.

She's just about to close the messaging app before a stroke of genius makes an appearance. Her eyes light up at the idea that her brain formed. Although it's unlikely to happen, it's the best idea she can think to present. Turning her eyes to the keyboard, she types in her idea quickly. 'Pro bending arena, practice room C, 6:30. I have a few things I want to say -Katara'. It's short, sweet, and to the point and doesn't suggest she has anything to hide. Press isn't allowed into the practice rooms unless invited, so she knows it'll be just them. 

She doesn't expect a response right away, doesn't expect one at all actually. There's a huge probability that he won't even give her request the time of day. She's surprised when a response comes only six minutes after her original text. A simple 'fine' is all it reads but it's enough to make Katara feel like she has a shot.

\-------

Katara shows up a half an hour before the time she suggested, to make sure the room is empty of others and to begin practicing in order to calm herself down. The room is empty, thankfully, so she jumps immediately into running through her stretches, elongating her body and loosening any muscles that have tightened from stress (which is most of them). She moves like the water she can control, simple, fast, and fluid motions that are reminiscent of the way water flows. She moves from stance one to stance two quickly, pulling her arms around herself as if she were actually dragging water around, before squatting slow and pulling her arms through the air in front of her, pushing at nothing before extending her arm completely. Stance three is easiest to her, rolling her arms back towards her body as if coiling to spring, and then pushing them forward, imitating the way a wave rolls over the ocean.

She's so caught up in her motions, in making sure her head is clear and calm, that she doesn't hear the sound of the door to the room opening and closing. The dropping of a bag to the floor is what calls her attention away from her stances, spinning around to face the door as if she were ready to strike. Only she stops herself before she can drop in to a defensive stance as she takes in the sight of Zuko in front of her. She's still a bit surprised that he even showed up, and doesn't make to say anything. She just stares.

"Why do you look surprised? You asked me here." He says, glaring at her as he stretched his bound hands out in front of himself, extending his arms till Katara can hear a pop from his joints. Wincing at the noise, Katara breaks from her silence.

"I wasn't sure if you would show, to be honest. I mean I know you said you would but still." She shrugs, returning to her stretching as if he weren't there. But he is, and she knows he is watching her move from the way the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight. She also knows that he's dropped into a stance as well, going through the motions. Only he's not just going through the motions, he's actually bending as he does. She can feel the heat from the flames, a sensation that makes her take a step back and stop her stance.

"Well if we're being honest, I was still debating it even when I got here. I must be stupid if I agreed to meet with the girl that actually hurt me all because of some fling." He snorts back.

"I deserve that." She says honestly, hoping her shame is evident in her voice. Stretching out her arm, she tugs at the pull coming from the water jugs placed in the corner of the room, pulling out a steady stream of water that she forms into a ball in front of herself, rolling it back and fourth as she rocks from foot to foot, extending the water from a ball to a stream that she weaves around herself. If he's going to practice with flames, then it's only fair she use water as well.

"Yeah, you do. You caused a hell of a mess that I had to deal with. I hope you're happy with yourself." His words set her on edge again, but she knows he's just goading her. She feels the heat from his flames on her back, a little too close for comfort, and she stumbles again, loosing her concentration and dropping the stream of water she controlled. Whipping her head around to glare at him, she meets his eyes and notices the smug look on his face. Narrowing her glare, she flicks her wrist to pull at the water that has pooled on the floor. Whipping it forward, she cuts through the flame he's kicking up, wrapping it around his foot and pulling him to the ground. He drops with an 'oof'.

"What the hell was that for!" He demands, pushing himself off the floor to stalk towards her. She doesn't let him get the chance, dropping the water to freeze over the floor, sliding away from him on the ice.

"Spar with me." Katara says, not exactly giving him an option to say no. She unfreezes the water, pulling it upwards with her arms to form a stream which she moves around herself defensively. "You were obviously picking a fight, so spar with me."

He doesn't need to be told twice because as soon as the words leave her mouth he is jumping towards her, letting out a yell as he pulls flames out of nowhere and whips them at her. Jumping back, Katara pulls the water wide, freezing it in front of her to protect from the flames. She can still feel the heat but it doesn't burn her. He doesn't drop from his offensive, and leaves Katara no room to make a hit. She jumps from him, coiling the water around her just in time to stop another one of his bursts of flame. Shots come one after another from him, leaving Katara just enough time to dodge each hit.

Her breathing is already heavy, her chest heaving from being forced to always be on defense. He hardly makes any errors, but she's watching for when he does. It comes when he thinks he's got her cornered, backed up into a corner with no where to go. He takes a pause to breathe and that's when she springs, pushing her water at him in a wave, tossing him backwards. He sputters as the water drops from him and returns to her, but he is quick to recover. Not quick enough because Katara shoots a jet of water at him, aiming for his hands and freezes the water as soon as it comes in contact with his skin. It won't hold him for long, she knows, but it gives her enough time to barrel forward and crash into him, throwing her arms around his midsection to tackle him to the ground. He doesn't fight as she holds him down, obviously sensing that she needs him to stay there. Sitting on his chest with her hands above his head, Katara huffs till she has enough air to speak.

"I didn't go to the embassy to fight." She blurts out, maintaining eye contact with him while she spoke, "I went because I felt terrible after we left in the Southern Tribe without exchanging numbers because I thought I liked you. Still do actually. I went because I wanted to tell you that, not because I wanted to fight."

It feels good to finally have that off her chest, and she relaxes her hold on him, sitting upward and rolling off of his chest to collapse on the mats next to him. Silence fills the air, save for the panting coming from both of them. Surprisingly Katara isn't worried about what he might say to her. It just feels nice to have the truth out.

"I think I like you too." Zuko says quietly. Her heart jumps out of her chest but she doesn't move to roll towards him. She just swallows and continued to stare up at the exposed ceiling of the room.

"We should start over." She says after a minute or two of silence. Sitting up and holding her hand out to him, Katara offers him s genuine smile. "Hey there. I'm Katara, daughter of Chief Hadoka of the Southern Water Tribe. Would you like to go get coffee with me?" He sits up as well and fixes her with a stare before slowly taking her hand, shaking it.

"Hello Katara. I'm Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, delegate to the Water Tribes. It's a pleasure to meet you. I would really like that." 


End file.
